Perspectives

NAM Perspectives are expert commentaries and discussion papers by leading voices in health and health care.

Browse our latest Perspectives below.

About NAM Perspectives >>

The National Academy of Medicine’s Perspectives platform extends the National Academies’ convening and advising functions by providing a venue for leading health, medical, science, and policy experts to reflect on issues and opportunities important to the advancement of health, health care, and biomedical science. Perspectives are individually-authored papers that do not reflect consensus positions of the NAM, the National Academies, or the authors’ organizations. They are not reports of the National Academies.

Perspectives come in two forms: commentaries, or brief, op-ed-style opinion pieces; and discussion papers, lengthier peer-reviewed articles that present research, summarize literature, report on field activities, or consider approaches to progress. Authors are not paid, and submissions must be invited by the NAM.

Perspectives are intended to advance the field by spotlighting innovative ideas; sharing information, expertise, and best practices; and promoting dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders. They are frequently cited in media; referenced in academic publications; used as background documents for meetings; adopted in course materials or organizational toolkits; and used as position statements by stakeholder groups, among other outcomes. They are the #1 driver of traffic to NAM.edu.

Increasingly over the past decade, health literacy researchers and practitioners have been turning their attention to issues of numeracy, recognizing that numeric tasks related to a wide array of health activities have not been sufficiently examined or address ...

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable premature death and illness in Denver. Specifically, tobacco is a major contributor to four of the top 10 leading causes of death in Denver: cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, and influenz ...

In rural western Massachusetts, a coalition with members from many sectors of the community has been working for more than a decade to support youth well-being and reduce youth substance abuse. In that time, youth drinking, cigarette smoking, and marijuana use ...

Individuals make decisions about health and well-being every day. Many of those decisions involve using and understanding numbers, and most of the decisions are made quickly, at home or at work, as a person goes about a daily routine. Even with adequate time, ...

Overweight and obesity, and their negative sequelae, have become the focus of policy makers, business leaders, health care systems, and the general public in the United States and globally. Currently, one in three children and adolescents in the United States ...